A. The date the pet food is recommended to be used by but the pet food can still be fed after the Best By date;
B. The date the pet food remains fresh to, the food should not be fed after this date;
C. The ‘Best By’ date definition varies with manufacturer however this date can tell a Pet Owner when the food was made.
D. All of the above (answer varies with each pet food manufacturer).

3. Carrageenan is

A. a seaweed extract gum used to thicken pet foods; it is linked to intestinal disorders and cancer;
B. a seaweed product providing vitamin K to pet food; safe ingredient.

4. Food Dyes used in pet foods…

A. Provide little to no nutrition but are of little risk to the pet consuming them;
B. Provide no nutrition to the pet, are used only to enhance the visual appearance of the food/treat for the Pet Owner, and are linked to numerous health risks.

5. What are the pet food ingredients FDA testing determined to be most likely to contain pentobarbital (lethal drug used to euthanize animals)?

Correct Answer: C. Vitamin K is a required nutrient of pet food. Vitamin K1 can be found in green leafy vegetables such as spinach and alfalfa. Vitamin K2 is actually produced in the intestines of healthy animals. Vitamin K3 is synthetic Vitamin K. This ingredient can be highly toxic in high doses. Hazard information regarding menadione lists “carcinogenic effects” and states “the substance is toxic to kidneys, lungs, liver, mucous membranes. Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage.” To learn more about Menadione Sodium Bisulfate, Click Here

2. The ‘Best By’ date on pet food means…
A. The date the pet food is recommended to be used by but the pet food can still be fed after the Best By date;
B. The date the pet food remains fresh to, the food should not be fed after this date;
C. The ‘Best By’ date definition varies with manufacturer however this date can tell a Pet Owner when the food was made.
D. All of the above (answer varies with each pet food manufacturer).

Correct Answer: D. Some pet food manufacturers use the Best By date to only suggest the pet food be consumed prior to this date; others use this date as a final deadline – the pet food should be fed prior to Best By date. If you are aware of your pet food manufacturer’s pet food shelf life (dry/kibble pet foods vary in shelf life from 6 months to 2 years; can pet foods vary in shelf life from 2 years to 5 years), the Best By date can tell you when the food was actually made and thus exactly how fresh the food is. Pay attention to the Best By information on each pet food and treat purchase you make; the fresher the food, the more nutrition your pet is provided.
To learn more about Best By dates on pet foods, Click Here

3. Carrageenan is
A. a seaweed extract gum used to thicken pet foods; it is linked to intestinal disorders and cancer;
B. a seaweed product providing vitamin K to pet food; safe ingredient.

Correct Answer: A. Carrageenan is used to thicken moist or semi-moist pet foods and treats. Though most of the available research on Carrageenan is performed to determine the risk to humans, tests were/are performed on animals. Research shows sufficient evidence to regard carrageenan “as posing a carcinogenic risk to humans”. To learn more about Carrageenan, Click Here

4. Food Dyes used in pet foods…
A. Provide little to no nutrition but are of little risk to the pet consuming them;
B. Provide no nutrition to the pet, are used only to enhance the visual appearance of the food/treat for the Pet Owner, and are linked to numerous health risks.

Correct Answer: B. Common food dyes used in pet foods/treats – Blue 2, Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 – are all linked to serious illness. From hyperactivity to tumors to cancer risk. To learn more about food dyes used in pet foods/treats, Click Here

Correct Answer: C. From the FDA website “There appear to be associations between rendered or hydrolyzed ingredients and the presence of pentobarbital in dog food. The ingredients Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), Beef and Bone Meal (BBM), Animal Fat (AF), and Animal Digest (AD) are rendered or hydrolyzed from animal sources that could include euthanized animals.”http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CVM/CVMFOIAElectronicReadingRoom/ucm129134.htm

True or False
6. The pet food/treat ingredient list on the label will provide the pet owner with all of the ingredients used in the pet food/treat.

Correct Answer: False. Pet food regulations do not require a pet food manufacturer to list any ingredient in the food/treat that the manufacturer did not add. An example of this is a chemical preservative such as ethoxyquin. Some pet food fish meal suppliers preserve the fish meal with natural preservatives such as tocopherols and other pet food fish meal suppliers preserve the fish meal with risky chemical preservatives such as ethoxyquin. Because the fish meal supplier added the preservative and not the pet food manufacturer, the preservative is not required to be listed on the label.

7. A pet food or pet treat label is allowed to make false or untrue statements regarding the food or treat.